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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. chair — a leader
  3. swing — music
  4. last — final
  5. mark — a trace
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fine — all right
  8. bore — to drill
  9. capital — a city
  10. wake — a trail
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. capital — money
  16. last — to go on
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. last — finally
  19. fine — high quality
  20. swing — to play on
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bore — to tire
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com